HAMMER HORROR
Fraser relives the nine-goal slaughter that made him wonder if Man City hero de Bruyne was a ghost
SHELLSHOCKED Scott Fraser reckons Kevin de Bruyne is like a ghost.
And the Scot admitted the nine-goal hammering the Belgian and his fellow Man City stars handed out will haunt him for the rest of his career.
Burton Albion had defied the odds, beating Burnley, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough, to get to the Carabao Cup semi-final.
But they came up against an impenetrable force in the shape of Pep Guardiola’s Premier League champions at the Etihad on Wednesday night.
Fraser confessed it was a real footballing education for the League One outfit and also for him personally as he was directly up against de Bruyne, IIkan Gundogan and then David Silva.
The former Dundee United star said: “It was unbelievable just to be there and up against City but to get beaten 9-0 at any level is no use.
“Their players are unbelievable, their ability and talents at times are scary.
“You see on the TV how good they are but when you are right up against them, believe me, they are even better in the flesh!
“De Bruyne is coming back from injury and if that is the case I would have hated to play him last season when he was right on top of his game. “I kept looking around and within a split second he was away and on the ball. It was almost like he was a ghost. “De Bruyne then went off and I was thinking ‘Thank goodness.’ Then I saw David Silva was switched over to my side. “I kept looking over to my side at that point hoping my number would go up. “I was still awake at 4.30 the next morning. Every time I shut my eyes all I could see was the back of de Bruyne’s head. I still don’t think I got any closer to him then.” Arguments have raged that City showed a lack of respect by going for the jugular but Fraser disagrees.
He saw professionalism taken to another level as their multi-million opponents went in search of perfection.
The 23-year-old, who had been man of the match in the wins over Burnley and Aston Villa, said: “It was 6-0 in the second half and their players were still having a go at each other if somebody misplaced a pass or didn’t make the right run.
“I was thinking, ‘You are thumping us, surely you can chill out a bit’ but they were constant. They certainly never let their standards drop.
“People have said they showed us a lack of respect because they kept at it until the end but I don’t see it that way.
“I would have seen it more of a lack of respect if they had taken pity on us.”
Fraser and the rest of his Albion team knew they were in for a long night when their manager, Nigel Clough, came in and announced City’s starting 11.
It boasted Nicolas Otamendi, de Bruyne, Gundogan, Silva, Kyle Walker, Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez.
Fraser said: “The manager came in and said, ‘do you want the good news or the good news?’ He read out the City team and it was full of their stars and then at the end he said, ‘the good news is that Sergio Aguero isn’t playing!’.
“The dressing room just went really quiet. Both teams set up with a 4-3-3 but our three were up against de Bruyne, Gundogan and Silva. That is how ridiculous it was.”
The playmaker will have a few unwanted memories from the Etihad but he still walked away with the shirt of his hero, Gundogan and a handshake from Guardiola.
Fraser said: “Their players were brilliant after it. Pep Guardiola shook my hand and told me, ‘well done’.
“He spoke to all the boys but spoke more to our keeper and the centre halves. I got Gundogan’s shirt after the game and I will get it framed. I love watching him.”
Fraser and his Burton team still have the second leg of their semi-final against City at the Pirelli Stadium in less than two weeks.
But the main priority remains their promotion push.
He said: “I hope it will be cancelled. They are in the final and we just need to treat it like a new game. Our bread and butter is Gillingham on Saturday.”
Their players are unbelievable. Their talents are scary FRASER